Kannada cinema is set to explore the sci-fi genre with ‘Lambodhar 2.0’, which features a humanoid robot in a leading role. The film also marks Bollywood actor Kunal Kapoor’s debut in Kannada cinema. 

Directed by Simple Suni, the film features Jia, a humanoid robot developed by Bengaluru-based Machani Robotics. The makers claim that the robot is playing a character on screen rather than being represented through CGI or portrayed by a human actor.

The film stars Anil Shetty, Saachi Bindra, Mac D'Souza and Meghana Gaonkar in key roles, alongside Kunal Kapoor. It is produced by Anil Shetty and Mass Productions.

According to the makers, ‘Lambodhar 2.0’ is an AI-driven social thriller that examines the complexities of Gen Z life in the age of social media. The film explores themes including artificial intelligence, youth and the changing digital ecosystem.

The makers describe the project as a socially relevant, high-concept thriller aimed at connecting with today’s digitally connected generation.

The shooting of ‘Lambodhar 2.0’ began in January and was recently completed. Following the completion of filming, director Simple Suni introduced the characters and shared a glimpse of Jia on Instagram.

In his post, Suni introduced Jia as a humanoid robot developed by Machani Robotics in Bengaluru. He said the film features a real humanoid robot playing a character on screen and stressed that Jia is neither CGI nor a human actor portraying a robot.

The makers have not yet announced the release date of ‘Lambodhar 2.0’.